‘It’s the height of debauchery’: Leonardo DiCaprio on the orgies and drugs in new film Wolf Of Wall Street… as he enjoys a tame bike ride in the city

As an actor at the top of his game, he is used to living the high life.

But for Leonardo DiCaprio, playing one of Wall Street’s biggest crooks was something of an eye opener.

‘It’s a modern day Caligula,’ said the 38-year-old actor about the world portrayed in his latest film The Wolf Of Wall Street. ‘It’s the height of debauchery.’

It’s the height of debauchery’: Leonardo Dicaprio smoulders on the cover of New York Magazine’s latest issue as he opens up about his character in the film The Wolf Of Wall Street

The film – directed by Martin Scorsese – is based on former stockbroker Jordan Belfort’s tell-all memoir of the same name, and follows his time at Stratton Oakmont, a brokerage firm he founded in 1987.

Belfort conned small investors out of around $100 million until he was indicted in 1998 of money laundering and securities fraud, going on to serve 22 months in prison.

‘The book personified America’s addiction to obtaining wealth at all costs, and that hasn’t changed,’ DiCaprio told New York Magazine.

Healthy choice: The actor was spotted taking advantage of New York’s new bikeshare programme on Thursday

Cool and casual: Leonardo wore shorts and a T-shirt for his solo outing, topping off his look with a pageboy cap and sunglasses

DiCaprio, who has worked on four previous projects with Scorsese, bought the rights to the memoir in 2007, and he and Scorsese secured a deal with Warner Bros. to make the film.

But the studio pulled out when the recession hit in 2008, and independent production company Red Granit Picture stepped in to provide financing for the film.

The movie covers some almost unbelievable true-to-life scenes, such as an orgy on a jet to Vegas, or a drugged up DiCaprio ‘dry-humping’ a first-class stewardess on a flight to Switzerland.

Not the first time: The star has been spotted riding a Citi Bike previously, and seems to enjoy the convenience of the service Did his research: DiCaprio spent weeks with Belfort to really get a feel for the character

DiCaprio said he spent much time with Belfort to really get a feel for the character.

‘I wanted a close relationship with him so that I could weave intimate details into the movie,’ he said. ‘[Scorsese’s] approach was essentially to put everything onscreen and see what we responded to. It was old-school, really independent filmmaking on a larger scale.’

DiCaprio’s co-star Jonah Hill – who plays Belfort’s close friend and business partner – said no role that he takes in the future could ever be as outrageous as this one.

‘I can safely say that this is the craziest performance I’ll ever give as far as what the character gets involved with,’ he said.

The high life: DiCaprio portrays real-life Wall Street crook Jordan Belfort, who was indicted in 1998 on securities fraud and money laundering

Meanwhile, DiCaprio seemed the antithesis of his character as he enjoyed a leisurely bike ride in New York on Thursday.

The actor, who is currently dating Victoria’s Secret model Toni Garrn, was casual in shorts, a T-shirt and Tom’s navy blue espadrilles.

DiCaprio was taking advantage of the city’s new bikeshare programme, which already boasts 70,000 annual members less than three months after its launch.